Is this good poker?

[y_burro]

As a beginner, in this hand between Layne Flack and Tony Korfman, Layne does everything my limited exerience tells me not to do. Is this simply a case where a pro could get away with playing a speculative starting hand? Even Barry Greenstein seems suprised by Layne's play and Layne is supposed to be one of the best players in the world...

http://www.pokertowatch.com/search.p...;Submit=search

[Rek]

Didn't read the link but anything Layne Flack does is ok by me.

As a beginner don't try what they do at the limits you will be playing. It is a case of "do like they say, not do like they do"

[y_burro]

I could see how televised poker could mess up a new player trying to learn the game...to me Flack called a re-raise preflop with a weak hand and got lucky on the river.

[LiveInPeace]

If you can consistently outplay people on the more expensive streets, when there are deep stacks it's worth playing almost any hand pre-flop.

[gedanken]

here's the hand:

8-handed 100/200 blinds, deep stacks

hero is MP with 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

3 folds
Hero raises to $600, button raises to $1800, Hero calls

flop ($3,900): 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

hero checks, button bets $2400, hero calls

turn ($8,700): A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

hero checks, button bets $5000, hero calls

river (18,700): J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

hero bets $7000, button calls.


so on the turn hero risked $5000 to directly win 13,700. His draw is by no means to the nuts (actually, it's the 2nd worst flush possible). He's getting less than 3:1 on a less than 1:4 draw.

Implied odds? apparently, he hopes to win an additional $7000 on the river if he hits. Therefore, paying 5000 to win 20,700, slightly better than 4:1 payoff in the best case where a) he hits, b) opponent calls a river bet, AND c) opponent doesn't have a better flush or boat up.

Is that really expert play? Did he expect a raise on the river from a hand he can beat?

[gedanken]

[ QUOTE ]
If you can consistently outplay people on the more expensive streets, when there are deep stacks it's worth playing almost any hand pre-flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

but these guys don't look like such amateurs that even a superpro can make up the difference with 52s. You gotta figure he assigns some "metagame" value to playing something like this. I suppose it can REALLY get you action, or folds, later.

[Albert Moulton]

He was apparently steaming from an earlier hand, so his MP raise was probably out of frustration more than anything else. He probably would have been happy to steal the blinds, or at least buy the button.

The reraise behind him might have been a position raise because he's got a loose image and the guy on the button might raise with a lot more than premium cards, so he called to (1) not appear too weak with his opening raises by folding to a reraise, and (2) the stacks are still very deep and it's unlikely anybody will put him on a trash hand if he hits. In a lifetime of playing 25s, however, this is clearly a -EV line. But this is an unusual circumstance and he decides to take a flop and see where it goes.

The flop is all low cards, so he put's the reraiser on missed overcards to c/c. He probably intended to c/c then c/f the turn if he didn't pick up a backdoor flush draw.

The on the turn gave him that flush, and he c/c'ed in the belief that he's get at least one bet for $7K called on the river if he hit.

He hit and bet $7k, then got called.

They should really have a disclaimer on the video, however, "Do not try this at home."